Adjustments
by scarletwitching
Summary: Following the battle against Ultron Wanda Maximoff is alone in the world without her only family and best friend Pietro, and is consumed with grief as she adjusts to her new home with The Avengers. Three of her teammates visit her hoping to help ease the pain she's in, but only one makes a lasting impact.


A week after the battle with Ultron, Wanda Maximoff found herself as part of the Avengers. She had a place at their training centre and they provided her with new battle armor, a nice bedroom, and above all the prospect of a family, because without Pietro; she no longer had one. Following the battle and her induction into the Avengers, Wanda spent a lot of time alone in her room grieving. Inseparable since their birth, Wanda now found herself turning to her right finding no one and catching herself waiting with perked ears for Pietro's footsteps as he came to bid her goodnight. If she could feel anything through the numbness, she imagined she'd feel as though she really didn't have a heart anymore, just like she had shown Ultron. She imagined that if anyone were to lay a hand on her skin, they would be greeted with a cold, dead sensation. She thought about her own death a lot during her time alone, without her brother she couldn't see herself going on with life; it all seemed so meaningless.

Two days into her seclusion there was a knock at her door, a few books fell off the bookcase as she shot up in bed as the knock shattered the silence and scared her. She was perfectly happy to ignore the knock and continue to lay immobile on her bed, but soon enough another knock sounded with a voice and the thoughts accompanying it. It was Tony Stark, and he requested to talk with her. His immediate memories told her the other avengers were unsure how to approach her, so he had volunteered to come check on her. Although she'd fought with him in battle, old feelings of anger and distrust popped up in her mind but knowing he wasn't a man to give up what he desired she answered the door. Upon opening it, he took in her bloodshot eyes and the lack of colour in her face.

"Hi Wanda," she could tell he was uncomfortable with the situation as well. She'd made it very plain that she didn't trust him back in Sokovia and obviously he wasn't one to have heart to hearts with ex enemies. "The uh, the others have been worried because you haven't left your room in a few days. You've missed training a few times, and though we know how hard it must be with your loss, you're still a member of this team and part of being on this team is training with everyone."

She stood silently listening to him until he called her out on missing her training, then she conjured a small orb of red energy and shot it at his chest. It wasn't enough to cause any sort of injury to him, it was more so to knock him back so she could shut the door. He recovered quickly, shrugged and walked back into the common space. Five pairs of curious eyes greeted him when he rounded the corner.

"That could have gone better," he shrugged.

"Perhaps I could-" Vision began.

"I know who she needs!" Steve announced, quickly leaving the room.

Tony broke the silence a half minute later with a sarcastic, "Well apparently it's none of us...How rude." He then continued to the kitchen to make himself a drink.

The next day Wanda laid in her bed again, this time allowing the books that had fallen the night before to hover over her body. She'd not slept in about 24 hours, she kept herself awake by watching the tv or reading because every time she closed her eyes she felt to agonizing pain in her chest that had signified the passing of her brother that day in battle.

She found the tiniest things would remind her of Pietro, and in that moment it was the silver font on the spine of the book she'd been manipulating. The sight overwhelmed her, and she threw the book across the room in frustration.

A sharp rap at the door stopped the tears building in her eyes from escaping. She knew that Tony wouldn't try to return any time soon, and after doing a quick scan of the mind of her current caller she realized it was Clint so she moved to answer it. She felt mixed feelings of Clint, he had been so kind and understanding of her when she was afraid to fight, but at the same time there was sadness and anger surrounding her thoughts of him because Pietro fell while protecting him. Part of her had vaguely hoped that Vision would be on the other side of the door so maybe she could escape into a more peaceful mind for a little while but, on the other side of the door was indeed, Clint so she invited him in. He immediately dropped his bag and gave her a long hug. He didn't mention or make her feel bad for not hugging him back, he just wanted to make her feel like he was there for her no matter what. Leaving the door open she sat in the chair she placed by the window, and gestured for him to perch on her bed. He silently waited for her to speak and after a couple moments of silence, she did.

"Pietro would have enjoyed the view your facility has to offer," she spoke in the monotone manner she had since it happened. "He loves-" she cleared her throat. "Loved rooms that had great views to wake up to."

"I'm so sorry, Wanda." Clint sighed in exhaustion, "I wish I could have stopped him."

"You and the kid would have been killed," Wanda deadpanned.

"I was planning to shielded the kid with my body. I'm older, I've lived more. You and Pietro...You're just kids."

Wanda scoffed, "You have children of your own. And a wife. You don't need to sit here and give me the self-sacrificing shit. Be happy you lived to see your wife and kids again because I can tell you, growing up without parents is not easy. It causes you to do horrible things just to survive."

Clint immediately felt horrible for what he'd done, of course he wished that Pietro could have been saved but she did have a point. "I'm sorry, you're right. I just...I wish I had a way to make it less painful."

"I understand, but nothing will make this less painful."

They sat in silence again, until Clint's curiosity got the best of him, "What you said before… was sort of things did you do for self preservation, if you don't mind me asking."

"Joining Hyrda for the wrong reasons was one of the bigger things."

"So, you didn't join because you believed in their ideals?"

She hesitated, "Yes and No, I of course did not agree with the Nazi background and ideals that Hydra possesses. But, after the bombings, they were set on destroying Tony Stark and the Avengers," She looked at him in a slightly sympathetic way. "And after my parents being killed I wanted revenge and Hydra could offer me that."

"I don't blame you, if that had happened to me I wouldn't have been against doing it either," Clint sympathized. Wanda merely nodded and resumed looking out the large window, she yawned loudly but shook it off as quickly as it came on.

"Trouble sleeping?" He implored.

"Yes."

"Have you tried using your abilities to help yourself?"

"I am not the only one in this facility plagued by nightmares." She spoke quietly, "Because my mind is not at it's," she struggled for the word she wanted in english "-Sharpest right now I can only access the minds of Natasha and Steve, and they are not peaceful in dreams either."

"So you'd need a clear, worry free mind."

"Yes, but finding a worry free mind in a world and in a time such as this is a hard thing to do," She sighed.

Clint processed this for a moment, "Have you ever tried knitting?"

The question caught her off-guard and a slight giggle bubbled to her lips, "What?!"

"Knitting, have you tried it? It's great for relaxation, very grounding."

"You have tried this?" She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Yes," He chuckled. "Very manly I know. But really, the repetitive movements and watching the yarn turn into a combined unit is very relaxing for me I find."

"Alright, well I have not tried to."

"Well, I thought ahead and brought you a few starters to see if maybe it could help you." He grabbed the bag at his feet and pulled needles, a few different coloured balls of yarn, a couple of needles, and a book. "I know it seems weird and overwhelming but I figured if you wanted to maybe give it a try you should have the right equipment."

Her eyes scanned over the assortment of colours, of course her favourite colour, red, was in large supply along with a ball of black, yellow, blue, and green. She gave Clint a weak smile in gratitude, "Thank you this is very nice of you to do."

He smiled and nodded back, "The kids and Laura are out of the house for a couple days on a school field trip, so i'll be around if you need help at all." Wanda simply nodded. With that, Clint left the room bumping into someone, Vision, on the way around the corner.

"How is she?" Vision asked, noticeably concerned.

Clint thought about it for a good few seconds as he motioned for Vision to join him in the common space before truthfully stating she wasn't holding up so well.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Vision asked. Clint began to get curious as to why Vision was so visibly upset and concerned over the girl.

"Not really, I think all anyone can do is just be there for her when she allows us to be. She hasn't been sleeping so she's not in the best company right now."

"She hasn't slept?"

"No, she's been having nightmares." Clint sighed, "She's been trying to reach into the others' minds to get some decent and nonthreatening dreams or lack thereof but everyone is still shaken from battle so it's not helpful to her."

Vision's eyes lit up, "I do not sleep."

Clint stood waiting for the rest of the sentence but that was it, apparently. "I don't follow. What does that have to do with anything?"

"I do not sleep, so I could ensure my mind stay open and without terror for Wanda," Vision explained.

"That could be exactly what she needs Vision!" Clint exclaimed excitedly.

Wanda put on yet another movie that night, fighting back heavy eyelids. She'd been awake for a solid 36 hours, and it was beginning to take a toll on her. A quick knock at the door saved her from sleep's grasp. She put on her black satin robe over her comfy pyjamas and padded over to the door. She opened it to reveal Vision who looked her over with curious and sympathetic eyes. She clutched her robe harder under scrutiny.

"Vision, good evening," She whispered.

"Good evening Miss Maximoff," Vision greeted her quietly.

"Would you like to come in for a moment?" She offered politely.

"Yes, thank you." Vision crossed the threshold into her space. The movie remained playing quietly on the screen, "This movie is a good choice."

"How do you know?" She asked curiously. He'd only been technically born a few days prior, so how could he know that?

"For a while I was Jarvis so I've had the wealth of internet knowledge implanted in my mind this whole time." His face scrunched up slightly, "It's hard to explain."

"I imagine." She yawned.

"Ah yes, Mr. Barton tells me that you are struggling with sleep." He segued quickly to the point as he began to see how her lack of sleep was affecting her. He dipped into her mind for a brief moment to find it in an absolute mess of upset, depressed, and sleep-deprived thoughts.

"I am, but you can probably read that from-" She yawned again and tapped her temple in the meantime.

"That's true, your mind is very muddled right now miss Maximoff."

"Wanda." She abruptly muttered, "Um, just call me Wanda."

Vision smiled, "Alright Miss M-Wanda." She laughed a little at his slip-up, and he joined her.

"So...You're saying that you might be able to help me sleep?" She reminded him, hoping desperately he'd say yes.

"I believe I can." He smiled happily, "I don't sleep so I can watch over you and keep my mind open and free for you to retreat to."

"That would be lovely," She yawned once again. "I'm very tired."

"Then let's give it a try, lay down." Vision hoped deeply that this would be of help to her.

Wanda took her place on the right side of the bed, as Vision stood nearby. "You can sit on the other side if you want to. You don't just have to stand there."

"Alright, Wanda." He replied as he sat down on the bed beside her. "Okay, just close your eyes and try to sleep. Feel free to use my mind as refuge if you need or want to."

"Thank you Vision," she smiled sleepily. Her eyes drooped almost immediately and only moments after he felt her enter his mind, her breathing evened out. Vision held his breath anxiously for twenty minutes or so until he knew she was not experiencing any nightmares. Once he was sure she was sleeping peacefully he gently took the covers out from underneath her and tucked her in. He felt the urge to watch her sleep, but this was the only interaction they'd had since battle and he was unsure if she would find that unsettling or not so he looked over her once more and then turned his attention to the movie. Though, he often found himself stealing short glances through the whole thing.

When Wanda woke up she felt disoriented. She was unsure of what time it was or what day it was, even. The room was darkened which made her assume it was nighttime, but movement in the common area suggested it wasn't. She slowly stretched and then opened her eyes, unfocused from sleep she rubbed them, making out a figure sitting a few inches from her with a book in their lap.

"Miss Maximoff, you're finally awake!" Vision chuckled, setting the book on her bedside table. She sat up and ran a hand through her sleep-tousled hair, looking bleary-eyed at Vision.

"What time is it? How long was I asleep?"

"It is half-past four pm. So that would make about nineteen hours," He shrugged.

"Nineteen?!" Wanda was shocked that she could have been out that long.

"You hadn't slept in a while, it appeared, so it's fine," Vision soothed her. "You woke up briefly a few times to drink some water too. But you didn't have any nightmares?"

It suddenly hit Wanda that she had indeed slept through the night, and then some, without a nightmare in sight. "No...I didn't," she whispered in shock and awe.

"So we've found a solution, you can just use me for your sleeping since it eases you." Vision smiled.

"That's fine with you? It's pretty boring you could be doing so many other things."

"No, I want to help you," he said without skipping a beat.

"You have a very interesting mind. Very pure." Wanda remarked, "Your mind is so young yet so filled with knowledge, it's very intriguing to me."

"As is yours, perhaps we can explore each other's minds further in the coming weeks of our training," Vision suggested hopefully.

"Okay," Wanda smiled. She climbed out of bed, heading for the door. "I'm starving, what time is dinner?"

Vision followed her to the door, "Six usually. But we could grab you a snack to hold you over."

The two left her room and went out to join the rest of the team who fell silent as she entered the room. Vision guided her with a hand on her shoulder to sit at the kitchen table, Clint had been there already typing away on his laptop.

"Hey Wanda, how're you feeling?" He asked her curiously, "You look better."

"I feel a little better," she answered cautiously. "Vision helped me sleep."

"Good! I'm glad you finally got some rest," he smiled at her before returning to his work. Slowly, the rest of the team joined her at the table each of them checking in with her to see how she was doing. Many of them felt the need to hug her, which felt foreign to her coming from people other than her brother and Clint but the feeling of her teammates caring about her made it okay. And for the first time since the moment her brother fell in battle, she felt hope for her future and her new family.

(A/N: This is my first time writing for The Avengers so I hope it was decent, I may continue with some one-shots for this verse. I'm only a casual author when it comes to fic so if you want to prompt me, feel free but I can't promise that these prompts will be filled in a timely manor. I mostly just write for fandoms/ships that inspire me in the moment so yeah, we'll see what happens! Thanks for reading! xo )


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